Twenty Sixth Day of lent - Lost Sheep

The Council by TJ Cunningham
Credit: cunninghamfineart.com

 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15

Yesterday I heard a tribute to the Rev Jesse Jackson who has recently died.  He was exulting a congregation, making them know that each one of them mattered.  He ran through a detailed list, "if you are prisoner, if you are young, if you live on an housing project, if you were born into a family that could not care for you."  He went on and on.  The list became a poem.  

Each one of us matters.  We matter to our creator.  

PRAYER: We are all known. We all matter to you.  We praise you and thank you that we are seen and loved.  

Twenty Fifth Day of Lent - Friends

 

Hiking c 1936 by James Walker Tucker
Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle Upon Tyne

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10

My saying is that you only need one good friend, and all the others are a bonus.  Jesus has 12 chosen male friends.  He asked his friends to work with him.  Freely receive, freely give.  We are also called friends, and take part in the experiencing experience of wonder and discovery.  With Jesus anything is possible. 

PRAYER:  May I aways know that with you, anything is possible. 

Twenty Fourth Day of Lent - Mary

 

 "Nagara Māryām"
Credit: British Museum Oriental Department. 

Both gender and race appear to be a problem for us humans.  Jesus is born into this world.  But his mother has been chosen.  Mary is someone who appears to have incredible insight and fortitude.  She is aware of the how crazy it is that she is the one foretold.  She is aware that the answer to the problems of Israel (and the world) comes in humility, vulnerability and poverty.  

Jesus is the one to turn the whole world upside down.  

47 “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.     For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,     and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him     from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm;     he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones     and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things,     and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel,     in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers,     to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Luke 1

PRAYER: We rejoice that you came to us in such humility. 

May we never abuse the trust you have put in us.

Twenty Third Day of lent - The Wedding

 

The outdoor wedding dance by Pieter Brueghel the younger
Credit: Sotheby's (for sale - £800,000-1200000)

Things go wrong.  Things go right.  It's hard to make sense of it.  Why in 2010, were 32 Chilian miners rescued, when the next week at Pike River, 29 miners died in New Zealand/Aotearoa?

But amazing things do happen, and the story below brought a bit of peace and joy for an instant in time to one couple and more importantly their families.

2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”  6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.[a] 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. John 2 1-12

PRAYER:  Thank you for the joyful experiences of the everyday.

Fourth Sunday in the Feast of Lent - The Path Less Trod

 

The Wilderness in Israel

Jesus shows us that the powerful status quo of our age can be resisted, both as a community, but also by individuals. He is tempted to enjoy the great power and wealth he possesses.  How difficult it must have been when his Council John sent a message asking him if he was the promised saviour, to not then ensure his cousin's safety from the hands of Herold.  But Jesus has come as 'The Lamb of God', He was to take the same hard path into the wilderness first taken by John.  He to was to be murdered brutally. He invites us to follow this path.  Gulp, let's go.

PRAYER:  Give me everything I need, and cannot get for myself. 

Twenty Second Day of lent - Childhood

 

By Rose Datoc Dall Credit: altusfineart.com

Are children innocent?  When do they become guilty?  All people are not equal, and some have massive disadvantages over others.  We are born guilty.  It was all stacked up against us.  Yet if we have the desire in our hearts to be good, we can be.  It is the spirit of the living Creator in us that makes us good (or holy). 

We believe that Jesus was fully filled with the spirit of the Creator from birth.  He is the human embodiment of the Creator here on earth.  Was this like King Henry V, walking incognito amongst his soldiers before Agincourt, getting an  impression of their mood?  Not one bit.  It was King Hal, leading from the front, but as a child, not a superhero. 

Here is Jesus, as a child, aware of how things are, and what has to be done.

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”  49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Luke 2:41-49

PRAYER:  I come to you as a child.  I bow before you as the kings did.

Twenty First Day of Lent - Birth

Credit: Laurenjturnerfineart.com

So much of the gospel is based on things which our modern day culture says is myth.  This is made plain because it is impossible.  Repeat the story enough, and people will believe it.  Like a well trodden path, it becomes a thorofare, and no one questions it. 

Not true.  It has constantly been questioned, and perhaps no more so than in this present age.  Other faiths make funny faces, just as we do about their epic stories.  One famous doubter called Thomas said he would need to meet Jesus, and feel his physical pain.  He did,  For me, this is what I need too.  Reality.  An experience I can look back to and recall, and recount. So what of a virgin birth?  Well meet Jesus and see what you think then.

 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

PRAYER:  All I know is that my relationship with you is real. That is all that matters.

Twentieth Day of Lent - Malachi

St John the Baptist, by Lynda Miller Baker,
Credit: Saatchi Art.  (Not for sale)

 "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. Malachi 3

We are reassured.  We will be informed.  We will know, and the covenant of security and love. everything we need and desire will come to pass.  I love the verses that  reassure me that I will not miss the message, miss the boat, miss the excitement.    My fears are allayed.  

PRAYER: Thank you that your plan will come to pass, because you are out of time and have seen the conclusion and the beginning at the same time. 

Nineteenth Day of Lent - Micah

Cueva de las Manos, Argentina.
Credit: Encyclopaedia Britannica

 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

    And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

    and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6.8

I think of the time, many many thousands of years ago.  Before written texts.  When all humans lived a 'stone age' culture.  Hunter gathers.  And I believe they had the same Creator God.  The same Lord who desires justice, love. Mercy and humility.  I trust that these people walked as Micah desired, and one day I hope to meet them.

PRAYER:  May I walk a simple life with you.  May we walk together.

Eighteenth Day of Lent - Joel

 

Flamenco Coast by Tom Si
Credit: artpal.com

“And afterward,

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

    your old men will dream dreams,

    your young men will see visions.

29 Even on my servants, both men and women,

    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

30 I will show wonders in the heavens

    and on the earth,

    blood and fire and billows of smoke.

31 The sun will be turned to darkness

    and the moon to blood

    before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; Joel 2

It can all happen in a day.  There are days that change us for ever.  A birth, a significant event such as acquiring a disability, passing a course. getting a new job, falling in love, getting married....and death.  

We know there will be a great day ahead of us.  I am ready.

PRAYER: Creator of all, we walk boldly forward with you.

Seventeenth Day of Lent - Zephaniah

 

Hasidic in a circle of light and joy
Credit:cberlinart.com

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

    Daughter Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,

    he has turned back your enemy.

The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;

    never again will you fear any harm.

16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not fear, Zion;

    do not let your hands hang limp.

17 The Lord your God is with you,

    the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

    but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3

When you meet someone with the Spirit of the Creator in them, and you do not share a single common word, how do you know you have met a fellow believer? The answer is that you will share the same joy.

PRAYER:  You are my strength. I fear nothing,

Third Sunday in the Feast of Lent - Resisting Evil

 

The Wilderness in Israel

The concept of the Devil is strange for our modern ears.  The Devil is the 'bogie man'. He is definitely male, and has a life of his own.  In my mind I see evil as the absence of light.  Without darkness, light cannot exist.  Goodness is the counterbalance to evil.  Evil forces run like an underground river beneath the surface of our society.  From time to time we see the river emerge.  We smell it, and acknowledge it as evil. Most of the time it is subtle and deceptive.  What looks good, is actually bad. be wary and question all titles.  The more emphatically pronounced, the more caution to apply. 

PRAYER: I am only interested in the light of your salvation.  I look to you alone.

Sixteenth Day of Lent - Amos

 

Lilian Lucy Davidson ARHA (1879–1954). Gorta
(previously known as Burying the Child), 1946
Credit: studiointernational.com

"The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD." Amos 8.11

There is a fame in the West.  The word of the Lord is what we need.  As with all famine, death, helpless and despair stork the streets.  The simple solution to famine is food.  Jesus offers us bread.  His bread fills you up are revives your soul.  His bread is freely given.  

PRAYER:  Without you we are nothing.  Thank you for saving me. 

Fifteenth Day of Lent - Balaam

 

Flower Power by Aaminah Snowden
Credit: therosegallery.co.uk

28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.

 29 “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”

 30 “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”

 “No,” Balaam admitted.

 31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.

 32 “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. 33 Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”

34 Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.” Numbers 22

The powerful will be brought down low, and the humble will be raised up.  Here is a wonderful story.  From the beginning to the end of the bible, it is the meek, the lowly and the down trodden who are never over looked by the Creator.  It is a wonderful thing when the powerful realise the errors of their ways and repent.  But sadly it seems rare, so it is worth celebrating when it happens.

PRAYER:  May I always be aware of your way, and listen to your voice through the meek.

Fourteenth Day of Lent - Isaiah

The very tame lamb by William Nicolson
Credit: Meisterdrucke.ie

 

Who has believed our message     and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,     and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,     nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,     a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces     he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.   4 Surely he took up our pain     and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God,     stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,     he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him,     and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,     each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him     the iniquity of us all.   7 He was oppressed and afflicted,     yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,     and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,     so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.     Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living;     for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,     and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence,     nor was any deceit in his mouth.   10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,     and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days,     and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered,     he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,     and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,     and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death,     and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many,     and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53

My mediations this lent are on Jesus - Lamb of God.  I think of Jesus' cousin John, when he was locked in Herod's dungeon, thinking, surely Jesus can get me out of this fix.  He sends his friends to check out if Jesus was the promised Messiah.  Yes indeed, but sadly no 'get out of Gaol free' card.

The Creator's approach is so different to the human instinct.  Are we made of the same stuff?  Well yes we are, because John, Jesus' cousin  responded with grace.  He was murdered, but we will never forget what he did.  All lives are short in the scheme of things.  John's short life was profound. 

PRAYER: You come to us as a lamb.  We receive you on our knees.

Thirteen Day of Lent - Elisha

 

Credit: Marko Prezelj Photo

10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. 2 Kings 5

This reaction brings to mind Simon Yate's prayer as recounted in the bio-pic called 'Touching the Void'.

Yates, and his climbing partner Joe Simpson, found themselves with a terrible dilemma with Yates hanging by a rope over the edge of a precipice attached to Simpson.  Simpson realised that he would have to cut the rope to save his own life.    Yates reports that he cried out to God for a miracle.  He promised to dedicate himself to God if he survived.  Yates then said that he then felt nothing.  Nothing happened.   Absolutely nothing, and he realised that 'there is no God'.  Simpson cut the rope.  Yates fell down into an ice crevasse.  His legs were broken and his knee smashed.  But he was alive.  He saw light at the end of an ice tunnel, and painfully crawled down the tunnel, out into the light.  He then crawled across the base of the mountain for about a mile to the base camp, where he was greeted by astonished  climbers, and was taken to hospital. He was able to make a full recovery. 

PRAYER: I was created in Your image, not the other way round.

Twelfth Day of lent - Elijah

 

Credit:Daricemachel.com

9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

 13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” 1 Kings 17

This is an interesting story of  dependence, faith and fortitude.  Previously Elijah had resisted starvation by living off food brought to him by ravens.  Trust his luck to request hospitality from someone who was also 'just' surviving, with her young son too.  But we believe that we do not live with a dispassionate Creator.  Sometimes the light of life is just kept alite, but it never goes out.  Like CS Lewis, who when asked about his faith after his newly wed wife called Joy died of cancer, said "it is hard not to say "God forgive God" (A Grief Observed.)" CS Lewis went on to describe the realisation that if God is dispassionate and inconsistent, then He is not 'Good', or there is no God.  His conclusion was to realise the happiness he had received 'gratefully', and to be at peace. 

For Elijah, we read that a miracle occurred (by definition, a very rare and notable occurrence) and all three lives were preserved.

PRAYER: Thank you for keeping the fame burning in me, and those around me.

Eleventh Day of Lent - Love Songs

Song of Songs IV by Marc Chagall,
Musée national Marc Chagall in Nice, France

Falling in love is the most wonderful thing, especially when it is magically reciprocated.  The two lovers feed each other, and keep the flame alive.  How long can this fire burn?  Like the fire in an open hearth, it starts with light, sparks, flashes and risky clashes and explosions.  It settles down into a constant warmth, of mutually sustained energy.  The coal removed from the fire soon cools, but in the fire, the ardour is maintained.  When the source of the fuel is spiritual, it has that life that Jesus describes, as the 'bread of life', or the eternal spring of life giving water.  This satisfies for an eternity.

Listen! My beloved! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills. Song of Songs 2.8

PRAYER: My love for you is eternal, and grows just as  living things do.

Second Sunday in the Feast of Lent - Thinking in the Wilderness

 

The Wilderness in Israel

Time to think.  From Buber to Maslow, the highest western experience is 'self-actualisation'.  In eastern philosophy, this might be called 'attaining nirvana'.

From our account of Jesus in the Wilderness I read 'surviving victoriously'.  This is not easy.  It is hard work.  It involves endurance, but it also reinforces a sure foundation.  This includes a foundation of knowledge and certainty.  It involves building on what is already known and established.  It reminds me of the longer term hope and vision, that over rides present discomfort.  

PRAYER:  Thank you for what you have given me, which can never be taken away. 

Tenth Day of Lent - Solomon

King Solomon by Gustave Doré
Credit: fineartamerica.com

 King Solomon followed his father King David with the family's mix of 'Inspiration' and 'Perspiration'.  He was a wise ruler, but he was also flawed.  Decadent, and hedonistic, he was not a great role model for Christian virtue.  He demonstrated what unchecked power can lead to.  But we see the Creator using this king, and their creativity to bless the world.  Even today David and Solomon's words are chosen to celebrate the Lord in every church, every Sunday, and every day in between.

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

4 Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103

PRAYER: In the morning we praise and honour you.  At midday we lift your name high. As the sun sets we glorify your name and through the night we meditate on your Word. 

Ninth Day of Lent - King David

Le Roi David with the Artist, by Mark Chagall

King David was exceptional.  He had been trained in the desert with his sheep and his relationship with his Creator.  He learned to cope under pressure.  Sometimes we experience this strange form of training, preparing us for some other grander role.

We all know that David was not perfect.  The temptations for those with royal power are seen in failed celebrities everywhere.  We read that David knew that his Lord was with him, and above him.  Israel flourished under a just king, just as all countries do.  That's what you need, but the two rarely sit together.  

21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13

PRAYER:  Under stress, I turn to you immediately.  Better to be with you before things get tough. 

Eight Day of Lent - Kings and Rulers

The Throne of Charlemagne
Aachen Cathedral
Credit: Mediastorehouse.com

It is my take that the Creator intended us  to live a life fully intergraded in the Spirit of the Creator.  Everyday we would have walked hand in hand with the author of all things, with access to all knowledge, wisdom, understanding and love.  But we found that difficult.  We are like someone who has a billion pounds in the bank, and forgets. 

So now we live our lives in a fog, with an awareness of the Creator, but no certainty (for the majority).  We crave the other comforts; pleasure, irresponsibility and control/power over others. If this were not so, we would solve all the problems of the world almost instantly.  There is no real reason why we cannot.

And so the people of Israel rejected the idea that the Creator would be their supreme king, and opted instead for Saul.  They were warned that they were choosing subjugation, and they chose that.

We too have this choice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” 1 Samuel 8

PRAYER:  You are my God and my King.  I worship you alone.

Seventh Day of Lent - The Law

Moses and the Tablets- Marc Chagall
Erica Meyerovich Gallery, San Francisco

The word 'Law' does not excite.  It feels cold and controlling.   But the Psalmist (119) says, "I delight in your laws, I write them on my heart."

Clarity and boundaries in relationships are also both healthy and liberating.  Young children, where the boundaries are unclear, appearing and disappearing, become insecure.  They carry 'floating anxiety', and this affects their behaviour and mood.  Relationships where there is jealousy and suspicion absorb negative energy and stress, leading to great unhappiness.   

Our Creator has given us clear boundaries.  The do's and don'ts. 

These were famously summarised (attributed to St Augustine) as "Love God and do as you please."

This is the beautiful law that sets us free, rather than constrains us.

20 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  3 “You shall have no other gods before[a] me.  4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.  8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labour and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.” 18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”

PRAYER:  I love your laws and have written then in my heart.

Sixth Day of Lent - Salvation from Slavery

St Augustine in the Slave Market in Rome.

 
The concept of slavery is abhorrent.  Yet humans seem to be doing this to each other for thousands of years.  Even today many people are restricted, controlled and lack access to justice.  How could a county like Britain condone and justify slavery?  It is an irony that the myth of England goes that it was in seeing slaves from Angle-land that St Augustine's heart was softened and this persuaded him to send missionaries to our God-forsaken cold damp corner of Western Europe. 

The story of the bible is one of 'being lead out of slavery'.  There is physical slavery, and there is spiritual slavery.  Which is more significant?  Jesus understood this and compared it to bread and water.  There is bread you will eat, and you will then be hungry again.  There is water that will refresh you, but only for a time.  There is spiritual bread, and water, that will fill you forever.  This is what we really need. Then all things are possible.

3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. 4 Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey Exodus 13

PRAYER:  You have set me free, and all freedom emanates from this.  Thank you.

Fifth day of Lent - The Nation

 

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model

What is a Nation?  What has it been over the millennia?  It is part of  'the onion' of our lives.  In this model, we live at the centre, surrounded by family, community, nation, continent, and the world.  But which ring has the strongest ring for you? I remember when the European Union attempted to build up a sense of regional identity over national identify as a subterfuge to nationalism.   We were in Burgundy at the time.  It was not particularly successful.  The 'Nation' is a shared concept in our collective heads.  But every head is different.

The nation of Israel has been significant to us in Europe for over a thousand years.  The bible speaks of the Creator relating to this people as a nation.  There is a special relationship with this community.  Small county church have ancient stain glass and painting attempting to depict the Holyland.

In the West we emphasis the power and unique qualities of the individual.  In the South and East, it is the community which is the starting point.  Both are important and significant.  They coexist. 

24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”  But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”  27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”  “Jacob,” he answered.  28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”  29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”  Genesis 32

PRAYER:  May the nation of which I am a part see its need to acknowledge your authority and accept the salvation you offer, and turn from it's wicked ways, and worship you.

First Sunday in the Feast of Lent - Listen

 

The Wilderness - Israel

Jesus went into the wilderness on his own to be close to the Creator.  He was away from distractions.  But he was there with himself, his inner thoughts - spiritual influences, both the presence of the Creator, but also of the malevolent force we called 'the Devil'. 

PRAYER:  I acknowledge the powers around me.  Powers to bless and build up, and powers to destroy and humiliate. Come close to me, as I come close to you, and save me. 

Fourth day of Lent - The Flood

 

Alex Honnold free climbs Taipei 101
Credit: Taipei Times

We all know the story of the great flood that wipes out many civilisations.  Almost all cultures have this tale set deep within their past.  It speaks of the frailty of life; like "a candle in the wind."

The curious thing about our world is that it is full of wonder, beauty and plenty, juxtaposed with harsh heartless brutality.  

Yesterday I heard Robert Alain, the French spiderman, talking about a recent 'free climb' of the building called Taipei 101.  He was asked how one copes with the risk of imminent death.  What Alain didn't say is that we all undertake similar acts of bravery every day.  Just walking along a pavement next to a busy road, or traveling inside the car on the motorway... Life is full of risk.

I think that the flood story tells us that we are noticed.  we are not alone.  There is method in the madness.  If we look, the signs of hope are about us, and we will arrive on solid land. 

It may feel bleak, but Salvation is in the air.

 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. Genesis 9

PRAYER:  You have told me the story.  You know how it ends.  My trust is in you.

Third day of Lent - Siblings

 

Siblings by Paul Klee- Credit: Wikioo

Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard.
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word.
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!

Ballard from Reding Gaol by Oscar Wilde.

Like the screaming open mouths of chicks in the nest, siblings are aware they may have to compete for resources. The relationship is not with the sibling primarily.  It is with the parent.  When parents can reassure that everything is safe and fine, the need to compete reduces, and siblings can actually become good friends.  As with all loving relationship, we mature from "You cut and I choose" to I actually want the best for you.  

The bible is full of different kinds of sibling relationships.  I love that between Mary, Martha and Lazarus, But the bible starts with tragic jealousy.  Cain saw perfection in his brother's relationship with the Creator.  He had been selfish, and the boiled over into a murder he must have immediately regrated. Actions have consequences....and the Creator calmed Cain's worries, and continued to protect him.

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Genesis 4

PRAYER: I love you to the point where my survival does not matter as much as loving you.

Second day of Lent - Humanity

Paintings in Chad said to be about 10,000 years old
Credit David Stanley on BBC news website

 What do we make of the messages that humans have been around for tens of thousands of years?

The BBC recently published an article suggesting that the art work found in an Indonesian cave was 67,000 year old.  The migration of humans from Mongolia into the American continent is put at 15,000 to 20,000 years ago.  Then there is the strange business of the relationship between Homo Sapiens and neandertals.  It's a long way of from the world described by Bishop Ussher in the seventeenth century.

The modern picture of humanity blurs the boundaries between species.  When did humans  start to reach out to their Creator?  When did the special relationship begin.  Humanity, though small in population, lived without books and organised religion far longer than it has with them.

I believe that the nature of the relationship is the same with all people, across all time.  Indeed, the relationship remains will all created things.  

"Ours not to reason why: ours to be and try."  

To accept our existence gratefully, and to try to follow our Creator knowing that although the world can look beautiful and magnificence, it can also flip your boat over and leave you in the ocean to drown, the Creator is good, faithful and true.

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians3

PRAYER:  I look to you, my creator, as the child realising who their parents actually are.